USD 501 truancy program deemed a success

Angela Deines

Sunday

Jul 24, 2011 at 3:36 PM

Topeka Unified School District 501 officials and administrators are hoping the district's truancy rates will continue to fall under a different approach that has been recognized as a national model to keep more students in school.

Jeff Litfin, who just completed his final year as USD 501's director of student services, presented a report recently to board of education members that showed the percentage of affidavits for truant students filed by Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor's office during the 2010-11 academic year was 203, a drop from 377 the previous year.

"I get the sense we have more cooperation with Mr. Taylor," board member Doug Glenn said. "This is showing results. It shows what happens when these partners come together."

In addition to the district attorney's office, the partners in the truancy reduction program include the USD 501 school resource officers, the Kansas Children's Service League, school counselors and teachers.

While the number of truant students at Topeka High School went from 334 to 365 from 2008-09 to 2009-10, the numbers dropped to 248 in 2010-11. Capital City and Hope Street also saw drops in their truancy numbers over the past year. Topeka West and Highland Park's numbers stayed nearly the same from 2009-10 to 2010-11 but both schools had significant decreases in truancy in previous years.

Board member Nancy Kirk said the truancy decreases were encouraging but also expressed her hope that administrators and teachers will continue working to make school a place where students want to go and stay.

"This program is working because teachers and KCSL are following up to make sure kids stay in school," board member Nancy Kirk said.

All the program’s partners and board members have also applauded parents for playing a pivotal role in the truancy reduction.

Litfin told board members that parents, especially those of elementary and middle school students, have done a much better job of calling when their children are going to be out of school for the day, an effort he credits to school staff members for emphasizing the importance of such calls. During the 2008-09 year, there were 890 instances where parents failed to call when their child was going to be absent. That number dropped to 703 in 2009-10 and then to 155 in 2010-11. Litfin also reported numbers that show there has been a significant shift away from parents thinking it is OK for their children to skip school.

"You sure see a change in attitudes by parents," said board member Peg McCarthy. "I think the effort is very much well worth it."

In addition, Litfin said special truancy teams consisting of Topeka police officers, school resource officers and KCSL staff made 131 homes visits in February in an attempt to communicate with parents of truant students.

"We had to go to these folks' homes and find out why their kids weren't in school," he said. "My thought is that we need to continue to tell them their children need to be in school."

"It makes a difference when you have someone show up at your house and say 'we want you back,’ " board president Patrick Woods said. "This is what goes into making the difference for kids."

Ron Brown, USD 501 director of school safety, said a significant reason for the attitude changes in parents comes from the school resource officers' "velvet glove" approach to stressing to parents that they have to be part of their children, particularly high school students, staying in school. He said assuring school counselors the resource officers weren't going to take the "cuff 'em and stuff 'em" approach to bringing kids back to school also has been key to the program's success.

Brown said in addition to the reduction in truancy rates, there has been a 15 percent decrease in the number of crimes committed on district property over the last year.

Lt. Tom Glor, head of the school resource officer program for the Topeka Police Department, said the return of 768 students to school over the past year speaks volumes of the program's efforts.

"It's 768 kids who aren't out committing crimes," he said, "but it's also 768 kids who aren't victims of crimes."

Glor told board members that USD 501's truancy program continues to get national attention, even after being one of only four programs across the U.S. to receive the 2010 Model Agency of the Year award from the National Association of School Resource Officers.

He said when Topeka police Cpl. Mike Cross and school resource officer Capt. Charles Nadeau made a presentation at the national organization's annual convention this year, the sessions were full.

"The country has heard about what's happened in Topeka, Kansas," he said.

Angela Deines can be reached

at (785) 295-1285

or angela.deines@cjonline.com.

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